Saturday, August 7, 2010

My Mother's Garden...

Right on schedule, here come my August garden doldrums. The miracle of spring has passed, I'm not expecting company, and my mind is on projects and vacations and eating home-grown tomatoes every day, not primping and photographing.

But that doesn't mean I'm not susceptible to a pretty face, and I saw several of them this week, while visiting my parents. So here's what's blooming at the old homestead.

The first pic is a charming little dahlia on the front porch, who hangs around with this open-blooming snapdragon and some severe pink vinca.

I'm not sure why I say severe, except, look at it. This is one uptight flower; it looks like it could shoot laser beams or something...

The complicated coloring of a red Japanese maple. A seasonal shift from redness to greenness to redness again.

Crape myrtles are at their peak right now; this watermelon pink is my favorite.

Not sure which barberry this is, but love the colors and patterns in the small leaves.

Love the perfect little blue flowers of Lithodora; I need to remember to use this more...

Agapanthus is so ubiquitous around here as a commercial planting that it is often passed over by designers for home gardens. Once established it is almost indestructible, and like Junipers it just persists and multiplies, (while providing a favorite hiding place for snails). But I know it is a coveted exotic to many, and upon looking closer, was surprised to realize that most of them are striped like this. Pretty...

Late summer hydrangeas. Our soil quite alkaline, can you tell? That's it, all I've got for now. I head to Santa Fe this week, and will be doing Bloom Day from Canyon Road, so y'all come back now, ya hear?

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